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Ota
is a city located on the southeastern sticky-outy bit of Gunma Prefecture with a population of about 217,038 people. It is bordered on the north by Ashikaga, in Tochigi Prefecture, and on the south by Kumagaya of Saitama Prefecture. Ota is the home of Subaru's main plant, which fills the neighborhood of Subaru-cho, and is also known somewhat dubiously for its strip of bars and hostess clubs downtown. Aside from that, it has many good restaurants, the Mt. Kaneyama historical castle ruins for hiking, Aeon Ota, which is the largest shopping center in the Kita-Kanto region, the Ota Snake Center, and its central train station is a stop on the Ryomo Express. Transportation Getting in To/from the airport From either Narita or Haneda Airports, there are several Airport Limosine express buses available (leaving the city with outgoing passengers in the morning and returning to the city in the evening). Tickets for these are around 3,000 yen, depending on the distance involved. These buses make stops at several points along the way. In Ota, they can be boarded from either Ota Station, south exit, or from the Ota Bus Terminal. By train Ota is home to several train stations, the central one being Ota Station. Since this is a larger station, trains run somewhat regularly here, but in the smaller neighborhood stations, trains may run as infrequently as every half-hour or every hour. The Ryomo Express train stops at Ota Station. Depending on train schedules, Ota can be from two to three hours from central Tokyo. Going away from Tokyo is likely to take longer. By bus Ota has a central bus terminal that serves both city buses and tourist and travel buses, the Ota Bus Terminal, and many buses stop at the train station as well. Furthermore, there is an Aeon Bus that services the route from Ota Station to Aeon Ota Shopping Center; however, city buses are small and run infrequently. By car From Tokyo, Ota can be reached by car by taking the Kita-Kanto Expressway and exiting onto route 354 in Tatebayashi. It is accessible by routes 50 and 122, as well as several other highways, from the surrounding prefectures. The Kita-Kanto Expressway is currently being extended into the north side of Ota, intersecting Route 122, and is expected to shorten drives to Tokyo greatly. Getting around In downtown Ota, most things are within walking distance, but outside of the central area most places are only reachable by bike or even by car. The trains to local stations are somewhat infrequent, as are the buses. Most things that are station fixtures in other cities, such as Shidax and other such party locales aside from the bars and hostess clubs, are surprisingly far from the station, so a designated driver, daikou, or taxi is recommended. Working JET placements Currently, two high school ALTs work in Ota, one working at two high schools and the other at only a base school. One of the jobs requires something of a commute to the lesser-visited high school, either by train or car. Incoming/Outgoing JETs As of 2012, both the Ota JETs have renewed their contracts for the 2012/2013 school year. Foreign community Being next to Oura and especially Oizumi, the "little Brazil" of Japan, Ota has a sizeable Brazilian population, and a smaller Indian population. Sightseeing Places to visit Kanayama castle ruins are on the north side of Ota city. A hike up from Daikou-in is recommended but one can also drive up. You can find several pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katakanadian/1744926150/ Festivals The Ota Matsuri takes place in mid-July on Honcho Dori. Shopping Supermarkets Department stores Home & Garden stores Book shops Others Eating Fast food Japanese food Foreign food Drinking Izakayas Bars Living Banks Post offices Medical facilities Libraries Hair dressers Sports facilities Travel agents Map External links *Ota International Association website (English) *Ota city official homepage (Japanese) Category:Gunma Prefecture Category:Articles using Google maps Category:Local knowledge